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Archery Non-Res Units

I'm looking to start applying for Utah archery units, but have no idea where to start. I know the Premium and Limited-entry are going to be good hunts and I should start getting points for these, but what about general units? I'm looking for somewhere with lots of public land, somewhere you can get off the beaten path, and have a good shot at harvesting a 150-160 or higher class buck. I'm not looking for a huge trophy hunt... at least not yet. I'm looking to have a good time chasing some deer with my bow. I'm looking for the 2014 season preferably the week of bow opener, but definitely still in August. I'm not expecting anyone to give up their honey-hole, I just need a little help determining a unit to apply for so I can go hunt. A velvet muley is something on my bucket list!

Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
Genesis 27:3 (NKJV)

Hi Travis, nice to have you. Maybe you could share a bit about yourself.

Have you thought about eastern Montana, or applying for a general season in Wyoming (due March 15) or and easy to draw unit in Colorado (due early April). You would be driving through a lot of good muley country to get to Utah.

I am actually just now getting into the "out of state" hunting scene. I have not gotten to do a whole lot of hunting until the past 3-4 years. I'm originally from Texas, and due to the prices of deer leases or outfitters, we were not blessed to be able to hunt deer very often, or were not lucky enough to hunt anything with horns... Since moving to SD in 2009, I have spent a lot more time hunting. I am looking to do a lot more mule deer hunting in SD and other states as well. I am semi-limited in the states I can apply in due to my job. I work for an agriculture company, and harvest starts in the middle of September through most of October, so I miss a lot of good western hunting seasons. My family has always been mule deer hunters (family originally from NW New Mexico), but due to relocation have been doing some white-tail hunting. I'm not looking to hunt this year, just gather some points. We have a baby on the way in July, so I'm going to skip this year for a trip out of state to hopefully start hunting and gaining more preference points for next year.

I have looked into some other states, though not as hard as Utah. I'm open to any information on any hunts, but Utah for some reason really draws my attention! I have subscribed to Eastman's and have looked at the MRS section, but it usually only covers the "trophy" areas and not always the places with good deer but not quite "trophy" quality.

I'm really new to the whole out of state hunting scene, so actually any help with any state would be helpful, though I know that is asking a lot and is pretty broad.

Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
Genesis 27:3 (NKJV)

Might as well apply for points this year and spend the next year doing research. I'm in the same boat as you, although I've been building points in a number of states for a few years while doing research. I have a few documents on my computer that I store good info in when I come across it. It can take a while to decide where you want to go, but it sure is nice to have the points ready to burn when you finally do decide. I like to start by reading the different states statistics, then go to Google Earth and see what the country looks like in units that interest me. If the country and road (or lack thereof) systems seem to fit my hunting style, I will make notes and then hit the internet and look for info. Don't forget to go a number of years back when looking at draw/harvest statistics. If you find a lot of talk online about specific spots, avoid those! Find similar looking country on GE that ISN'T talked about all over the internet. Once you have your choices narrowed down and you are confident in your research, then ask around and try to get some insight by asking more specific questions- carefully!

How do you go about finding public hunting areas in Utah? Here in South Dakota, we have a great interactive website similar to Google Earth that has all of the public hunting areas mapped, as well as a paper bound map style. Does Utah have anything like this? I'm going to be looking for a place that isn't too crowded where I won't have to worry too much about accidentally wandering on private ground... definitely could ruin a hunt doing that.

Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
Genesis 27:3 (NKJV)

www.wildlife.utah.gov is the web address for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources it is the place to find some of your information. If you click on the HUNTING tab on the top then on BIG GAME it will take you to a page to find the hunting guidebook and other resources. The 30 general season deer units has a link from this page, you will just have to read and find it. You will also be able to find maps of every Utah hunt unit from the HUNTING =>BOUNDRY MAPS tabs and you can search for specific units. I can't make any blanket statements about where to find public land because you can find spots of private land all over, however, most areas with large mountain ranges will have public land and access (the wasatch range is a bit difficult in areas). The GPSHuntMaps chip show land owndership but will cost $100.
Hard to find areas without hunters during archery because the weather makes vernturing out easier during bow season then during later rifle hunts, so I'm not sure where to tell you to go to get away from people, but there is a chance of a buck that size in a lot of areas, good hunters seem to always find them. Best of luck.

Thanks clacklin. My buddy and I put in for points this year for deer and elk, so we should be set to go next year with a general unit deer tag. It took a while, but I finally found the information you were referring to.

I've been doing some research and I think I have narrowed our destination down to the San Juan general, Plateau, Boulder/Kaiparowits, or the LaSal area. Does anyone have any suggestions between these units? It looks like the San Juan is pretty limited for area due to private land, but the Plateau also looks like a huge unit with only part of it really looking like it may hold deer. All I'm looking for is if one area may be better than another for spot and stalk archery. I'd want to hunt a unit with more deer than bigger deer to increase our shot opportunities.

Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
Genesis 27:3 (NKJV)